90 Days Until I Get Married: Here's How I'm Getting In The Best Shape of My Life

In just 90 short days I will be getting married to the love of my life, and I want to get in the BEST shape of my life.

I suppose the "best shape of my life" could be measured by a few different metrics, so I will primarily be looking at my muscle mass (measured by progress pictures and some body composition measurements), my strength (measured by my estimated 1-rep maximum of bench press and back squats), my muscular endurance (measured by the number of pull-ups I can do consecutively), and my cardiovascular fitness (measured by my watch's estimated VO2max.

I will be documenting everything I do day by day on this post and on social media, and uploading a revised version every day until the wedding. Feel free to follow this plan if you are getting in shape for your wedding as well.

90 Day Wedding Wellness Protocol

I am a huge planner, so I will be following the following protocols and habits throughout the next 90 days.

90 Day Wedding Fitness Plan

You can follow along with the actual training plan here (coming soon). Here is the general outline I will be following:

	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Strength	Rest	Lower Body	Upper Body	Rest	Lower Body	Upper Body	Rest
Cardio	Light walk/hike	Interval or Threshold Running	Zone 2 Cardio - not running	Run - moderate intensity	Run - moderate intensity	Zone 2 Cardio - not running	Long Run

The first 45 days of this journey, I will be bulking up and trying to build muscle. The last 45 days will be focused on cutting down on body fat. The workout structure will remain the same, but my diet will change to reflect these goals.

Habits

There are a few key habits that I will be sticking to throughout the 90 days:

• 7 hours of sleep every night (in bed for 7.5 hours)

  • No phone or work 60+ minutes before bed

  • No eating 90+ minutes before bed

  • Same bed time/wake time

• No social media, TV, or any leisure tasks until after all work, workouts, and workouts are completed

• No fast food

• Must meal prep every week

• Some form of cardio every day (even if it is an easy walk/active recovery)

Day 0 - Before the 90-Day Challenge Stats & Goals

Here are my current measurements/personal bests:

• Bodyweight - 189.3lbs

• Bench Press 1RM - 275lbs

• Barbell Back Squat 1RM - 365lbs

• Estimated VO2max - 53 (mL/kg/min)

• Most Number of Pull-Ups - 12

• Before Photos:

Here are my goals by the end of the 90 days:

• Bodyweight - 190lbs

• Bench Press 1RM - 295lbs

• Barbell Back Squat 1RM - 405lbs

• Estimated VO2max - 56 (mL/kg/min)

• Most Number of Pull-Ups - 16

Day 1

Workout(s)

• Morning cardio consisted of 60 minutes on the stationary bike keeping my heart rate in zone 3 (average 146bpm)

• Afternoon lift consisted of a modified leg day (see notes below)

  • Single leg glute bridge - 3x12

  • Leg extensions - 3x10

  • Leg curls - 3x10

  • Cable crunches - 3x10-15

  • Paloff press - 3x8 each side

Diet

• Breakfast after the morning cardio consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; protein smoothie with mixed berries, spinach, peanut butter, oats, creatine, and vanilla protein powder; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Lunch included a sweet potato with chili (ground turkey, black beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions, fat free cheddar cheese), and a chocolate chip protein bar

• Post-lift snack was a bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus

• Dinner was a bowl of chili (see above for ingredients

Notes

Today was a solid first day of the new fitness journey. I made sure to head to bed early last night and ended up getting 7.5 hours of solid sleep. I'm currently dealing with a hip injury that I'm a bit worried could be a stress fracture, so I'm avoiding heavy weight-bearing lifting, and any high impact cardio (hence the stationary bike and the modified lower body lift). The weather was beautiful today in Salt Lake City, and it is killing me not to be able to get out in run, but I've gotta think about my body long-term, especially if this injury is what I think it is (I don't have the time or money to confirm my suspicions with a doctor's visit and MRI). Nevertheless, all habits were completed today, and I invigorated by a new journey. On to day 2!

Day 2

Workout(s)

• I did some upper thoracic/shoulder mobility work this morning after waking up

• Morning cardio consisted of a 2100 yard swim at an easy pace

• Rest day from lifting

Diet

• Breakfast after the morning cardio consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; protein smoothie with mixed berries, spinach, peanut butter, oats, creatine, and vanilla protein powder; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Snack one was a chocolate chip protein bar

• Lunch was a bowl from Chipotle (light brown rice, 1/2 pinto & 1/2 black beans, chicken, lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese, fajita veggies

• Post-work snack was a bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus

• Dinner was a sweet potato with chili (see day 1 for ingredients)

Notes

A super busy day today, but still got everything in. I woke up well rested and actually had some super strange dreams. I fall into REM sleep around the 7 hour mark, so now that I'm getting over 7 hours of sleep, my dreams are so much more vivid. I went for a swim this morning as my form of cardio. Swimming in the morning just makes me feel so energized for the day and I'm really not sure why. Perhaps the cold water, the chlorine, or just the exercise high. Since I'm trying to gain weight, I feel like I'm super full all of the time. I'm trying to keep my diet relatively clean even though I am eating a surplus of calories. I don't feel sluggish from all the food, but definitely full.

Day 3

Workout(s)

• 40 minutes total of some modified rower intervals in the morning

• Upper Body Strength focused day

  • Bench Press x3, x2, x1, x1 (back-off set)

  • Bent over barbell row 3x6

  • Pull-ups (AMRAP) x13, x8, x8

  • Incline chest press machine 3x15

  • Barbell Shoulder press 3x8

Diet

• Breakfast after the morning cardio consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; protein smoothie with mixed berries, spinach, peanut butter, oats, creatine, and vanilla protein powder; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Snack one was a chocolate chip protein bar and a serving of mixed nuts

• Lunch was a sweet potato with chili (see day 1 for ingredients)

• Post-work snack was a bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus

• Post workout fuel was a bowl of oats with peanut butter and cinnamon ceral protein powder

Notes

Another insanely busy day today (I'm writing this at 9pm... and usually I'm in bed by 8), but still got everything in. I'll have to sleep in an extra 30 minutes to make up for the late sleep if I want to maintain my 7+ hours of sleep streak. I'm starting to feel pretty drained from working all day, working out a couple of times per day, and managing some pretty big stressors in my life (studying for my board exam to become a licensed physical therapist, ensuring things are settled for the new apartment my fiancee and I will be moving into soon, wedding preparation, and fulfilling graduation requirements to name a few). Even with a super busy schedule, I feel very accomplished to be able to get these workouts done. Onward to day 4.

Day 4

Workout(s)

• Afternoon lift consisted of a modified leg day

  • Single leg glute bridge - 3x12

  • Leg extensions - 3x10

  • Leg curls - 3x10

  • Cable crunches - 3x10-15

  • Paloff press - 3x8 each side

Diet

• Breakfast after consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; protein smoothie with mixed berries, spinach, peanut butter, oats, creatine, and vanilla protein powder; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Snack one was a chocolate chip protein bar and a serving of mixed nuts

• Lunch was a sweet potato with chili (see day 1 for ingredients)

• Post-work snack was a bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus; dried mango

• Post workout fuel was a bowl of oats with peanut butter and cinnamon ceral protein powder

Notes

Busy, busy, busy end to the week. A lot of marriage preparation obligations, a full day of work, and some grocery shopping done today. No new updates, but tomorrow, I'm going on an adventure that I'm excited about.

Day 5

Workout(s)

• 6 Mile hike in Capitol Reef National Park

• 60 minutes of hiking/bouldering in Goblin Valley State Park

Diet

• Breakfast consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Snack/lunch one was a chocolate chip protein bar and 2 servings of mixed nuts; dried mango

• Post-hike snack included a homemade cinnamon roll from the orchards in Capitol Reef

• Dinner was a large bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus

Notes

I am a firm believer that fitness is not just about going to the gym and cycling through the same 8 exercises every workout. Being fit is all about being able to go out and do adventurous stuff, and to be able to handle any physical feat that life presents you with. Today, I got lost on a hike to Cassidy Arch in Capitol Reef National Park. The hike that was supposed to be 3 miles turned out being 6 miles because of that. It was hot, there were obstacles that I had to climb, balance challenges, and endurance required to make it to the destination. I want to be able to do that for the rest of my life. Even when I'm in my 80s and 90s. THAT is what fitness means to me.

Day 6

Workout(s)

• Complete rest day

Diet

• Breakfast consisted of 3 eggs & 3 egg whites & fat free cheddar on a high fiber tortilla; 1 cup of coffee (black)

• Lunch was a large bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola; raw broccoli with hummus

• Snack was a chocolate chip protein bar and a serving of mixed nuts

• Dinner was half of a frozen supreme pizza

Notes

My hip is NOT happy with me after yesterday's hiking, so I opted for a total rest day today. This hip injury may be more serious than I keep testing it to be, so I will be taking a lot of time off of weight-bearing cardio (like hiking and running). I feel rejuvenated after a complete rest day, and ready to tackle the new week with some intensity.